As mentioned previously, one aspect of promoting the Blockstack ecosystem is to provide a platform to help support the global community of developers, designers, and others to submit their ideas and products for a chance to win a prize.  Over the last quarter or so and into 2017, Blockstack’s Signature Fund has held several bounties – see these links, here, and here (winner of portfolio app). 

Well, once again, the Blockstack Signature Fund — a $25 million dollar fund used to help support teams to build applications for the new internet has yet again announced another bounty for a dApp.  And, once again, Blockstack has partnered with a another project – ShapeShift – to bring the open source world a new wallet platform – Universal Wallet.

April 25, 2018

$50,000 Signature Bounty to Build a Universal Wallet

Blockstack Partners with ShapeShift (leading instant digital asset exchange) to build a universal wallet

Details

• Build an open source wallet app using Blockstack for
  • Authentication
  • Storage
  • Encryption
• Must support custom tokes
• Must use the ShapeShift API for token exchange
  
  • Shape Shift
    • Describes itself – leading instant digital asset exchange – “We Buy and Sell Digital Assets” and “the safest way to buy Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and many other blockchain tokens.”

Register for the bounty at Blockstack

Other Bounties announced so far (completed):

2018

Blockstack: $50,000 Bounty for Messaging and Communication Applications…

2017

• Encrypted Token Portfolio app – Coins (winner of bounty)

Blockstack: A New Decentralized App – Coins

Blockstack Signature bounty for a new universal wallet is open and waiting for the Community. Go to this link for more details from Blockstack re: $50,000 Signature Bounty.

Note: If you do not have the Blockstack browser, please see this link (note – to enable the full functionality of any dApp built for the Blockstack ecosystem you need to use the Blockstack browser).

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you. Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 (e.g., building a new internet, a decentralized internet, a new decentralized internet, re-decentralizing the internet) by posting a comment below and signing up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar). Let’s help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way^TM.  A new decentralized internet | The Way The Future^TM.

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Along with all of the scheduled speakers, Blockstack Berlin has also invited some dApp developers to debut/demonstrate their new and exciting decentralized application(s) at the Blockstack Berlin event. The dApps to be presented at the Blockstack Berlin event have either been built or are being built for use on the Blockstack ecosystem.  We have attached – for your convenience – a list of dApp developers scheduled to present at Blockstack Berlin.

This is the second installment of our series of profiles on the dApps (developers too) to be presented at Blockstack Berlin.  Our second dApp profile is on Coins.

Coins

The first decentralized encrypted cryptocurrency portfolio management tool created on top of Blockstack.

Developer (s):

• Thomas Osmonson (profile picture no. 6) – Independent designer, developer, and street photographer. Does a lot of work for @plotlygraphs, and maker of @usecoins.
  
• Chase Wackerfuss (profile picture no. 6) – Web Developer & UI Designer, Musician & recent new hire at Blockstack
  

Version No. 1 was a joint development (live on Blockstack)

Version No. 2 (coming soon) will be developed solely by Thomas Osmonson  (Note: We heard from Mr. Osmonson that Mr. Wackerfuss has gone to work* with Blockstack – wonderful job to both of you.)

Social:

• @aulneau_ (https://twitter.com/aulneau_)
• @vackerfoos (https://twitter.com/vockerfoos)

Website: Coins (Coins)

Social: @usecoins (Coins)

Other:

Thomas Osmonson (An independent designer, developer, and creative director.) for Ineffable.co.

The purpose of Coins is to allow the user to manage the user’s token or coin portfolio in a secure and decentralized way.

Basically, Coins uses the power of Blockstack to bring us a token and coin management application platform that:

• is decentralized, secure and encrypted
• supports multiple currencies, tokens and coins
• provides a powerful metrics UX (user interface)

Coins is the token/coin portfolio management solution – decentralized, secure and encrypted, supports multiple currencies, tokens and coins with a powerful metrics platform and user interface (UX). 

For more on Coins, please visit this link here. For a more personal and close-up look at Coins, please visit with Mr. Osmonson at Blockstack Berlin – go Blockstack Berlin.

So, when you amass a stack of tokens, don’t reach for the piggy bank, think COINS – the secure environment in which to manage those assets. 

Visit the Blockstack Berlin site here.

The post Blockstack Berlin: dApp Developer Presentations – COINS with Thomas Osmonson appeared first on The Stack Cafe™.

Let’s take a quick peek at Coins.  What is Coins?  According to Coins (above screenshot from Coins’ website), Coins is the first encrypted cryptocurrency portfolio management tool (application) created on top of [sg_popup id=”3″ event=”hover”]Blockstack[/sg_popup].   Coins is in beta but fully functional on the Blockstack ecosystem.

The purpose of Coins is to allow the user to manage the user’s token or coin portfolio in a secure and decentralized way.  The Coins application (dApp) provides for both live and historical performance data in a variety of ways: cross-portfolio, by portfolio, by holding, or by token type.  The application also includes multiple views to look over your portfolio – dashboard and activity feed mode for individual portfolios or holdings.  Basically, Coins uses the power of Blockstack to bring us a token and coin management application platform that:

• is decentralized, secure and encrypted
• supports multiple currencies, tokens and coins
• provides a powerful metrics UX (user interface)
  

And, Coins has some exciting new features that will be coming very soon, that include:

• custom reports (e.g., add labels, exchange data, wallet IDs, and more…)
• trading between coins (e.g. to help the user track the performance and opportunity cost)
• custom news (e.g. giving the user insight into current events and investments)
• mobile app interface coming soon too

So, when the user buys those tokens and/or coins and needs a secure environment in which to manage those assets, Coins is the solution – decentralized, secure and encrypted, supports multiple currencies, tokens and coins with a powerful metrics platform and user interface (UX).

And remember, when the user uses Coins in connection with the Blockstack browser (which provides the portal into the Blockstack ecosystem – the new decentralized internet):

1. no one has access to the user’s information (data is encrypted only for the user to see or share…)
2. and the data and storage of the same is controlled by the user (this is done on the storage platform the user selected via blockstack browser (at install or anytime – with multiple storage platforms planned).

To get started with Coins, first make sure you have the Blockstack Browser installed and running (See Blockstack: Getting started… and/or here) along with your Blockstack ID (e.g. thestackcafe.id) you secured in the browser.

Then, navigate to the Coins login button (icon) which will start the application using the Blockstack browser on your local machine (screenshots may be slightly different depending on updates to blockstack browser).

As you can see, the Blockstack link will pop-up to make sure that the user signs in with the Blockstack Browser – the portal to the Blockstack internet ecosystem.

The Sign In Request will appear – as you can see the .id appear will be the user’s Blockstack ID – (e.g. thestackcafe.id).  Next, the user clicks approve to sign-in request and launch the Coins dApp.

Once the sign-in request has been approved and authenticated via Blockstack, the user can start creating a new portfolio of various tokens and/or coins.  In this case, we called our new portfolio – Test: Coinapps on Blockstack (see below)

Once the new portfolio has been created, the Coins dApp will land on the confirmation page and then ask the user to add a new holding – coin or token – Create A Holding.

Below, we see the landing page for the data entry related to the new holding that is being created in our new portfolio Test: Coinsapp on Blockstack.  For illustrative purposes, we will add a bitcoin holding into the appropriate fields and then click – Create Holding.

The next screen – All Portfolios and Holdings, is the place to view the portfolios created and all holdings – coins or tokens – in each portfolio that was created.  In addition, the user can add additional portfolios, view performance metrics – hourly, daily,… and view the portfolio in either a Dashboard view or an Activity Feed as shown below in the respective screenshots.

Activity Feed (see Edit, sell or Delete the coins/tokens) or click Dashboard view to return to the previous screen view.

The Coins dApp also provides some additional settings criteria on the Setting page – e.g., delete or destroy all data (no going back from there).

And, when you are finished managing your token or coin portfolio, and the user signs out, the user will be directed to the initial Login with Blockstack landing page as shown below.

Using Another Browser (not Blockstack’s Browser) – Another way to access the Coins dApp, is by starting on the Coins website.  If the user is on the Coins website, the user can find the login button there too – Log in with Blockstack (see the below screenshot). 

The user will follow similar login procedure as shown above.  The only difference in this instance is that the user could be using another browser on the internet and may want to access the Coins app to manage a particular coin or token portfolio created on the Coins dApp. 

If this is the case, once the user clicks on the Log in with Blockstack tab, the user will be asked via a pop-up page to open the Coins dApp with the Blockstack Browser (the appropriate and only way for the user to avail itself of the full functionality of the Blockstack internet (security, encryption, …).

What a great dApp! Coins has brought the blockstack community the first working decentralized secure and encrypted portfolio management platform for coins or tokens. Go check out Coins and try out the portfolio management application and begin creating some new coin or token portfolios.  Add those tokens and coins.

Note: If you do not have the Blockstack browser, please see this link (note – to enable the full functionality of any dApp built for the Blockstack ecosystem (e.g., building a new internet, a decentralized internet, re-decentralizing the internet) you need to use the Blockstack browser).

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you. Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 by posting a comment below and signing up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar). Let’s help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way^TM. A decentralized internet | The Way The Future^TM.

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The team with the best decentralized community messaging dApp wins the bounty – $25,000.  And, the team with the best decentralized P2P encrypted messaging dApp wins the other bounty – $25,000.  Good luck to all participants.

Resources

• Blockstack
  • Build a Community Messaging App – Register for the bounty at Blockstack
  • Build a P2P Encrypted Messaging App – Register for the bounty at Blockstack
• Community Messaging Collaborators or Open Source (fork)
  • Rocket.Chat – Rocket.Chat is the leading free open source team chat Slack alternative.
    • Collaboration w/Blockstack
    • Forum on Rocket.Chat re: Collaboration w/Blockstack
    • @RocketChat
  • Mattermost – Open source, private cloud Slack-alternative – Workplace messaging for web, PCs and phones.
    • @mattermosthq
  • Riot – Open, secure and inter-operable communication for work and home.
    • @RiotChat
  • Matrix – is an open standard for inter-operable, decentralized, real-time communication over IP.
    • @matrixdotorg

Note: If you do not have the Blockstack browser, please see this link (note – to enable the full functionality of any dApp built for the Blockstack ecosystem (e.g., building a new internet, a decentralized internet, re-decentralizing the internet) you need to use the Blockstack browser).

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you.  Feel free to post a comment below and sign up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar).  Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 and help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way^TM.  A decentralized internet | The Way The Future^TM.

The post Blockstack: Signature Bounties Challenge – One Week to go… appeared first on The Stack Cafe™.

And, as you know (or see this), the bounty window closes in about two (2) weeks.  So, if you or your team have the dApp for the new communication reality, there is still plenty of time to submit applications for both dApps before the window closes – February 16, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. eastern.

Along with the Bounty participants, we wanted to also provide a brief overview about one of the open source platforms – Rocket.Chat – a Slack alternative, that is collaborating with Blockstack to help bring the new community messaging dApp to fruition. 

Rocket.Chat – in a nutshell – is an open source web based chat platform (server) that offers both companies or general communities the ability to privately host its own chat/messaging service.  In addition, it allows the developer community the ability to build custom chat platforms (web based chat platform (server)). 

The collaboration (generally) is about Blockstack providing its single sign on feature (no need to rely on any outside servers or third parties) and Rocket.Chat providing its open source web based chat platform (server) so that a team can figure out how to integrate (build) both into a new decentralized messaging platform.  The ultimate goal is to have a team build a new messaging platform that enables users to access Rocket.Chat with their Blockstack identity for secure login and identity verification (e.g., single sign on feature).  The team with the best decentralized messaging platform wins the bounty – $25,000.

Resources

• Blockstack
  • Build a Community Messaging App – Register for the bounty at Blockstack
  • Build a P2P Encrypted Messaging App – Register for the bounty at Blockstack
• Rocket.Chat
  • Collaboration w/Blockstack
  • Forum on Rocket.Chat re: Collaboration w/Blockstack
  • @RocketChat re: Collaboration w/Blockstack

Note: If you do not have the Blockstack browser, please see this link (note – to enable the full functionality of any dApp built for the Blockstack ecosystem (e.g., building a new internet, a decentralized internet, re-decentralizing the internet) you need to use the Blockstack browser).

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you. Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 by posting a comment below and signing up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar).  Let’s help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way^TM.  A decentralized internet | The Way The Future^TM.

The post Blockstack: Signature Bounties – Two Weeks to go… appeared first on The Stack Cafe™.

• Blockstack Auth, which provided you with a single-sign on you could use with apps to privately access them without any 3rd parties involved
• Single-Player Storage, which gave you the ability to store all of your app data privately.(e.g., managing your own private token portfolio app).

Multi-Player Storage will provide the Blockstack Browser user the ability to not only own and control access to the user’s own data, but will also give the user the ability to share the user’s data with the user’s friends without the need for a third party.  Remember, it is the user’s (your) data, and the user (you) and only the user (you) should determine the fate of the data created by the user (you).

Blockstack has provided some helpful items for the developer community as shown below:

• Multi-Player Storage Tutorial

And, once you have been through the tutorial and feel emboldened to create on the Blockstack ecosystem, Blockstack encourages all developers to go and check the latest bounty being offered for decentralized application (s) (dApp, dApps, Web 3.0) in the communications space – Community Messaging App and a P2P Encrypted Messaging App (See also – $50K).

1.26.2018 Update: dApps (dApp, decentralized application, web 3.0) currently utilizing multi-player storage include:

• Graphite – the decentralized application (dApp) that empowers you to create and write something new (documents or sheets) without giving up your privacy (think of Graphite as a privacy-focused replacement for Google Docs—something that lets you own your writing).   Please visit our post on it here, and by all means, visit Graphite, Blockstack (@blockstack) and go try out Graphite with the blockstack browser too.

Note: If you do not have the Blockstack browser, please see this link (note – to enable the full functionality of any dApp built for the Blockstack ecosystem (e.g., building a new internet, a decentralized internet, re-decentralizing the internet) you need to use the Blockstack browser).

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you. Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 by posting a comment below and signing up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar). Let’s help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way^TM. A decentralized internet | The Way The Future^TM.

The post Blockstack – Developer Tutorial: Micro-blogging App Using Multi-Player Storage appeared first on The Stack Cafe™.

Over the last quarter or so of 2017, Blockstack announced the Blockstack Signature Fund — a $25 million dollar fund of used to help support teams to build applications for the new internet. Blockstack likens the Signature Bounties to contests where teams submit products and judges determine who wins the prize for the best product. Blockstack further explains bounties as follows:

“Bounties are a useful tool for building out important apps on the new internet because they leverage a global community of developers, designers, and other talented folks to work on bringing interesting ideas into reality. Since apps built using Blockstack don’t own their user’s data or identity, they can be expanded on or re-purposed by other teams as the basis for more complex apps that build out an ecosystem.”

December 20, 2017

$50,000 Signature Bounty to Decentralize Communication

• Build a Community Messaging App – Blockstack Signature Bounty:
  • Blockstack writes – “It has become clear over the past several months that Slack cannot be the permanent home for community communication for open source projects like Blockstack. Slack has taken a closed source approach to team chat, and that does not work for the decentralized community as a whole in order to defend attacks from bad actors or even store chat history in a reliable way. … The Blockstack Signature Fund will award $25,000 to the team with the best messaging app using Blockstack Auth and here.
    • Blockstack minimum application (dApp) requirements:
      • Must use Blockstack for identity and authentication
      • Must fork either Rocket.Chat, Mattermost, or Riot/Matrix
      • Must be available on both desktop and mobile
      • Must be able to handle communities of 10,000+ users
      • Must not reuse a submission for the Encrypted & Decentralized P2P Messaging Bounty
        • Date and Time 9:00am EST December 20th, 2017: – 11:59pm EST February 16th, 2018
          • Bounty is closed and all projects must be submitted via SUBMISSION FORM
            
            – February 21st, 2018: Winning project is announced.

Register for the bounty at Blockstack

• Build a P2P Encrypted Messaging App
  • Blockstack writes – “Encrypted messaging apps have gained significant use and traction in recent years, with popular offerings including Signal and WhatsApp. With Blockstack, users own their own identity and data, including any and all encrypted communication…. The Blockstack Signature Fund will award $25,000 to the team that creates the best P2P encrypted messaging app.
    
    • Blockstack’s minimum application (dApp) requirements:
      • Must use Blockstack for identity, storage, and encryption
      • Must not use a central server or database
      • May be a fork of a pre-existing P2P messaging app
      • Must not reuse a submission for the Team Messaging Bounty
      • The use of STUN/TURN servers is fine, however signaling servers should not be used, as signaling should be done over Gaia
        • Date and Time – Wed, Dec 20, 2017, 6:00 AM – Fri, Feb 16, 2018, 11:59 PM EST

Register for the bounty at Blockstack

Other Bounties announced so far (completed):

September 2017 –

• Encrypted Token Portfolio app as follows (September 2017):
  • private, encrypted Token Portfolio Management app that allows you the user to
    • (1) sign in with an identity you own, and
    • (2) gives you the privacy to input and view your cryptocurrency/token balances on your own encrypted cloud storage provider.

The the Community responded in force – app submissions here. And a screenshot of the latest blockstack browser homepage with all of functioning coin-portfolio applications:

Blockstack Signature bounties are open and waiting for the Community. Go to this link for more details from Blockstack re: $50,000 Signature Bounty.

Note: If you do not have the Blockstack browser, please see this link (note – to enable the full functionality of any dApp built for the Blockstack ecosystem (e.g., building a new internet, a decentralized internet, re-decentralizing the internet) you need to use the Blockstack browser).

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you. Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 by posting a comment below and signing up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar). Let’s help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way^TM. A decentralized internet | The Way The Future^TM.

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